Tyler Shough hardly needs encouragement to keep throwing after opening the season with 410 passing yards.
The Baltimore Ravens, however, gave the New Orleans Saints quarterback something else to watch Wednesday.
Baltimore began preparations for its Week 2 matchup with several notable defenders short of full participation. Outside linebacker Trey Hendrickson and cornerback T.J. Tampa did not practice, while defensive tackle Nnamdi Madubuike was limited. Veteran defensive lineman Calais Campbell also sat out, though his absence was listed as rest rather than an injury.
None has been ruled out for Sunday. It is Wednesday, not Friday.
But Hendrickson’s status in particular bears watching after what Shough dealt with in Detroit.
Trey Hendrickson Could Be the Injury That Matters Most for Tyler Shough
Hendrickson did not record a sack in Baltimore’s 41-23 Week 1 win over Indianapolis. That undersells his afternoon.
According to Next Gen Stats data shared by the Ravens, Baltimore produced a 58.6% pressure rate and two sacks when Hendrickson was on the field. Without him, the pressure rate dropped to 20% and the Ravens failed to record a sack. Hendrickson generated eight pressures himself.
There is some history here, too. Hendrickson spent his first four NFL seasons with New Orleans and broke out with 13.5 sacks for the Saints in 2020. He entered this season with 81 career sacks.
That makes his finger injury more than another name on a Wednesday report.
Shough carved up Detroit for a career-high 410 yards and three touchdowns in the Saints’ 31-30 overtime loss, becoming only the third quarterback in franchise history to post a 400-yard passing game. But the opener also showed the other side of the equation: Shough was sacked five times, threw two interceptions and lost a fumble on a sack.
Give him cleaner pockets and the calculation changes quickly.
Ravens Defense Still Has Plenty Left Even With Injury Questions
There is an important brake on the optimism.
Baltimore’s defense is not suddenly depleted. Roquan Smith and Marlon Humphrey remain at the center of the unit, and Madubuike’s limited practice could actually represent progress after he missed the opener. Campbell’s Wednesday absence was a veteran rest day, not an injury setback.
And no Wednesday DNP guarantees a Sunday absence.
Still, Tampa’s knee injury and Hendrickson’s finger issue are worth tracking through Thursday and Friday. Baltimore held Indianapolis to 23 points in Week 1 and enters Sunday at 1-0, while the Saints arrive at 0-1 despite their second-half offensive explosion in Detroit.
For New Orleans, that is where the opportunity lies.
Shough already proved he can pile up yards when the Saints let him attack. If Baltimore has to play without one of the pass rushers who drove its Week 1 pressure — or with him at less than full strength — Shough may get a considerably friendlier chance to do it again.
The next two Ravens injury reports will tell the rest of that story.
Ravens Injury Report Could be Good News for Saints QB Tyler Shough in Week 2